Friday Night Feast

How to make crunchy pork scratchings

What message do we want sports sponsorship to send to kids?

If you saw tonight’s show, and would like to show your support, you can post on social media. “I want my Mayor to make sports sponsorship a force for good for all our kids #HealthySponsorship”

Why we should buy free-range duck

‘A duck out of water’ is a phrase we’re all familiar with, but sadly this is the reality for the vast majority of ducks reared in the UK. Nearly all duck products on our supermarket shelves have been reared in systems that prevent ducks from behaving naturally.

Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast Builds – Series 5

Each week, Jimmy rolls up his sleeves and builds a clever gadget or piece of cooking kit from scratch. Have a go at home yourself with these handy PDF guides.

The best of British beans

A super-versatile ingredient, beans are packed with fibre, and really low in saturated fat. Fibre is important for digestion, and a high-fibre diet is associated with reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You can bake beans, purée them, turn them into burgers, use them in dips, sauces, salads and stews, or blitz them into a soup – the list is endless!

Social supermarkets

This week on

The truth about veal

Back in the 80s and 90s, the veal industry boomed in parts of Europe, and veal farmers produced a pale and soft meat, prized by chefs and consumers alike. This meat came from young calves who were confined in small dark spaces, with restricted movement, and fed on a largely liquid diet. The animals’ meat was pale and mild because they weren’t able to use their muscles. It was the product of cruelty and, in 2007, this method of production was outlawed in the EU.

When should we eat lamb?

In general, sheep have very natural lives – they thrive in areas where other livestock would struggle to survive, such as hills, mountains and rough terrain. This means they spend lots of time outdoors, which keeps them connected to the seasons and natural cycles of the land.

Baby food – what to look for

Supermarket baby food aisles are full of pre-prepared products in jars and pouches. There’s no denying that these can play a useful part in your baby’s weaning, especially if you’re out and about, as they’re convenient and can be stored ambiently until opened. But relying on them too much can also mean kids could miss out on essential food education, such as chewing and discovering non-sweet flavours.

Energy drinks are #NotForChildren

Many kids regularly buy energy drinks that are high in refined sugar and caffeine. And lots of children drink these fizzy energy drinks in volumes that far exceed the recommended caffeine intake for their age and size. In fact, 69 per cent of all 10 to 18 year olds in the UK report drinking energy drinks, with a shocking 13 per cent saying they drink a whole litre (or more) in one sitting. That’s the equivalent of a grown man drinking 12 espresso coffees in one go!

Breakfast cereals – what’s in the box?

Cereal can be one of the biggest sources of sugar in a child’s diet. Although many cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, they are also often full of added refined sugar. As Jamie and Jimmy discovered on

The benefits of using fish belly

Salmon is one of the top five fish and seafood eaten in the UK, alongside cod, haddock, tuna and prawns. Most of the salmon we eat is farmed – a process that relies on many resources, including wild fish for them to feed on. So, as Jamie and Jimmy discover on 

Should we eat more seaweed?

Dried seaweed (or nori) is an incredibly nutritious ingredient. It’s a good source of protein – essential for the body to grow and repair itself – and it contains a whole host of vitamins and minerals, which our body needs in small amounts to stay healthy and work properly.

The importance of bees

Although ‘saving the bees’ might not sound like the first priority when it comes to today’s food system, it is hugely important. Our bees are in trouble, and the reality of not acting quickly to help them could spell an ecological and food security disaster.

What are the benefits of aquaponic farming?

Over the past century, our food production system has changed enormously. Much of our farming has moved from small, skilled growers to multimillion-dollar industries that specialise in one or two crops. While these large-scale industries can produce seemingly cheap food for consumers, the loss of diversity is taking its toll on the environment. As well as making use of a waste product, aquaponics offers a potential solution to loss of diversity.

Let’s eat more British brown crab

The UK has the biggest fishery of Brown crab in western Europe, landing a massive 30 thousand tonnes a year. Yet we Brits are losing our appetite for this delicious seafood. It now forms less than 0.5% of the seafood eaten in the UK, and it’s getting harder to find on our supermarket shelves.

How can we make vending machines healthier?

Jamie and Jimmy visit Cheshire Constabulary to see what food is available for emergency response staff during night shifts. And, if vending machines are the only option, how do we make them healthier? We’re eating more food on the go than ever before, but are vending machines keeping up with what we want to eat?

Jamie takes on school dinners again – and asks how the whole school can promote child health

If you saw the show and want to get involved, tweet Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds:

What can the government do to improve kids’ health?

In 2007 I went on a crusade to improve the school meals at my children’s school. Along the way I picked up hundreds of concerned parents from across two London boroughs – and

Medical students want nutrition education

If you saw the show and want to get involved, tweet UK under-Secretary of State for Public Health Steve Brine: “

Vegan football club blazing a trail

Veganism is becoming increasingly popular. The number of people following a vegan diet has quadrupled between 2014 and 2018. There are various reasons people choose to eat a plant-based diet – it is good for the environment and research shows there are health benefits, too.

‘Hidden eggs’ in products should be free-range, too

And while many of us always look for ‘free-range’ when buying eggs in boxes, the ‘hidden eggs’ within other products can often come from caged birds, without this being made clear on packaging. So, on

What’s the best charcoal to use?

Whether you’re firing up the barbecue or lighting the pizza oven, cooking with charcoal is a fantastic way to add smoky flavour to your food. But do you know how charcoal is made, or where it’s from? Jamie and Jimmy hit the road to find out more about this fuel.

What are the pros and cons of plant-based drinks?

The intake of plant-based drinks is increasing in the UK. In fact, the sector

Spent grain – reducing waste in the beer industry

Breweries are struggling to get rid of this by-product, but one of the solutions is to turn it into food.

Let’s help teens learn to cook!

Cooking from scratch is a fantastic way to save money and keep ourselves and our families healthy.